Hey guys, I was tasked with designing some large posters for use in lightbox stands. They are 2 metres x 1.5 metres.
I need some guidance on how to prepare these for print. It’s all vector at the moment. Any help would be very much appreciated.
Get the dimensions of the lightbox stands including the border that may cover important things.
Then design around the obstacles that are out of your control.
Vector is fine. So whatever you need to do to make it work.
There’s no secrets to it.
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Thanks Smurf2.
I have done what you said. The Design is finished and ready to go. I just want to make sure I prepare the files properly for print so the quality is not lost when scaled up.
Or should I just send the printer the InDesign files?
Bottom line
Ask them what they prefer, InDesign files or the PDF.
PDF is usually preferred
Ask them for a joboptions files - this will be a file you can use to load in InDeisgn - File>Adobe PDF Presets - and load the file there.
When you go to make the PDF use the settings from there.
Ensure you have bleed on your document - it might not be needed but better to have it.
If they don’t have a .joboptions file ask them what they prefer as a PDF.
You could choose PDFX4a as your output if they don’t know - but they should.
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OK great. Thank you very much!
These things are 2mx1.5 METERS
They may not want a PDF.
Best to ask.
Are all critical colors called out as Pantone coated?
You have no raster imagery at all in there that would cause you to worry about resolution? That would include drop shadows and glows. Illustrator has a Raster Effects setting that controls those. It should be set at at least 100-150 at final size for something that size if you have placed vector art. InDesign will output whatever you tell the PDF to be so be careful.
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To prepare large posters (2m x 1.5m) for print in vector format, follow these steps:
Use professional design software, such as Adobe Illustrator or CorelDRAW, to create your poster.
Set your canvas size to 2m x 1.5m and ensure a high resolution (300 DPI) for print quality.
Use CMYK color mode for accurate color reproduction in print.
Ensure all elements are in vector format (shapes, text, logos) to maintain sharpness at any size.
Extend your design slightly beyond the edges to create a bleed area for printing and trimming.
Convert text to outlines to avoid font issues during printing.
Save your file as a high-resolution PDF with embedded fonts for print-ready output.
Request a proof from your print provider to check for any issues before final printing.
Discuss your project with your print provider to ensure they have the correct specifications and can handle a poster of this size.
Transfer the print-ready PDF to your print provider using their preferred method (usually online upload or physical media).
Tips:
Be sure to communicate with your print provider early on in the process to ensure that they can meet your needs.
If you are not sure how to do something, such as converting text to outlines or creating a bleed area, ask your print provider for help.
Always request a proof before final printing so that you can catch any errors.
I hope this is helpful!
You might ask that print provider how they want the file handed off. I’m gonna bet at that size, unless it’s an online gang-printer, they aren’t going to want that PDF.
If you need help with basic Software 101 questions like converting text to outlines or creating a bleed, look up the answers online. That’s not something you call your print provider about.
If it’s all vector work, there’s no PPI (DPI) issue to worry about. At that size, you’re probably looking at digital printing, so it’s probably best to leave it in RGB to take advantage of the wider color gamut in most digital printing.
If you convert all the type to outlines, there are no fonts to embed.
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